Woman arrested for call to violence at successful drag queen reading event in Rotterdam

The police arrested a 51-year-old woman from Dordrecht for incitement because she posted “inflammatory and threatening texts” about a Rotterdam event where drag queens read children’s stories to children. Around 200 people showed up to protest against the event, but they didn’t end up disrupting it because the organizers had moved it up several hours.

The event was scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at the LantarenVenster theater in Rotterdam. The organizers quietly moved it to 10:30 a.m. so that the attending children and their parents didn’t have to fight their way through protesters.

The protest was organized by the right-wing foundation De Roze Leeuw. It is unclear whether the arrested woman is affiliated with the foundation. “It is a fact that people differ in opinion. Being allowed to express that by demonstrating, for example, is a great asset in democracy. But incitement and threats are punishable,” the police said about the arrest.

The demonstration against the event, as well as a counter-protest in support of the drag queens, happened without incident, the police said.

Drag queen Ma’MaQueen previously told AD that the people trying to disrupt the book-reading event were guided by incorrect imagery and a narrow worldview. “They don’t even come to our events,” she said. “I have been reading children’s books to children for many years. These are wonderful, educational stories about diversity in the broadest sense of the word. We are not talking about sexual acts. We make the children laugh and bring them joy.”

Ma’MaQueen said they wouldn’t stop these events. “We are not making a fist against this, but offer a warm heart. We want to bridge the gap between multiple groups. With the most important message: everyone can be themselves.”